I had my own experience with a ‘therapeutic’ school (and then wrote a show about it!) that used coercive treatments on those of us that were gender non-conforming or ‘sexual deviants.’ I am thrilled that California is taking steps to end this practice, and I hope that other states pass similar legislation. Unfortunately, since many families send their children to programs in other states for treatment, banning reparative therapy in one state isn’t enough– but it’s an important first step.

I’m curious to see how this ban actually plays out, because many ‘schools’ offering this treatment don’t present themselves as mental health practitioners and are skilled at dodging the regulations of the psychiatric industry. Will there be a penalty for practitioners of reparative treatments that are not mental health professionals?

The new law goes into effect on January 1st, 2013– let’s hope the next 3 months don’t have lots of ‘concerned’ parents in CA sending their kids off in a last-ditch attempt to ‘pray away the gay.’

Posted by Kestryl Cael at 9:33 pmComments Off on California bans ‘reparative therapy’ for queer minors

It’s time for the Fresh Fruit Festival! Director Drae Campbell and I have been working hard on RADCLYFFE, and we’re ready to open tonight! I’m so excited to perform the first fully staged version of RADCLYFFE. It will be up tonight, 10/27 at 7:15pm, and tomorrow, 10/28 at 6pm, at the Workshop Theater (312 W 36th St, 4th Fl. NYC). Running time for the show is about 45 minutes, and we will be starting on time– so please don’t be late, or you’ll miss it!

I’m excited to announce that RADCLYFFE will be appearing as part of the Harvest Fruits Festival here in NYC at the end of October. This time, you’ll have two chances to see Radclyffe before she vanishes again into the ether (so you don’t have any excuses for missing it)! Mark your calendars for Thursday 10/27 at 7:15p, and Friday 10/28 at 6pm. Tickets are $18 in advance, and you can buy them here.

Stay tuned for more details– it’s been exciting to develop this show in NYC and Oakland over the past few months, and this festival will be the first fully staged version of the piece. I can’t wait!

Posted by Kestryl Cael at 8:52 pmComments Off on RADCLYFFE gets Fruity!

This weekend has been a flurry of preparation for the upcoming Butch Voices conference, happening later this week in Oakland. I’ll be performing twice at the conference, as well as teaching a workshop. I’m excited to meet and reconnect with butch and other masculine-of-center folks from all over the country.

I’m really looking forward to teaching a workshop as part of the conference. My workshop is all about butches and testosterone– going on it, going off it, and what the hormone means in our communities. Just as a result of my post about going off of T, I’ve had some really great conversations about testosterone in the past few weeks, and I hope that teaching this workshop will be an opportunity to expand these conversations. The conference organizers haven’t released the workshop schedule yet, but I’ll post the time and location for my workshop as soon as I find out what it is.

I will first be performing as part of the Butch Nation performance on Saturday, August 20th at 7pm at the Kaiser Center Lakeside Theatre (300 Lakeside Drive, Oakland CA). I’m going to be doing an excerpt from Radclyffe, which seems particularly appropriate to me at a conference all about butch and masculine of center identities. After all, Radclyffe Hall has been called THE prototypical ‘mannish lesbian.’

On Sunday, Sassafras and I will be performing as part of the Spoken Word Brunch. We’re performing an excerpt from a new piece that we are writing together, titled ‘Flame.’ There are plenty of other great performers at both events, too many of them to list here. Just trust me– you don’t want to miss it!

There are still props to prepare and bags to pack– so I’ll wrap this up for now. Hope to see you in Oakland!

Are you ready to meet Radclyffe? Radclyffe–or ‘John,’ as her intimates would call her– is ready to meet you! Come welcome Radclyffe to New York this Wednesday, July 27th, 7:30pm, at Dixon Place as part of the HOT Festival! Tickets are just $15 in advance, and you can buy them here!

I’ve been having a lot of fun developing this piece, and I can’t wait to introduce you to Victorian England’s second most notorious invert!

Posted by Kestryl Cael at 10:49 pmComments Off on RADCLYFFE’s NYC Debut

I haven’t quite decided what I’m going to read yet– maybe something old, maybe something new, maybe a teeny-tiny bit from the new show I’m working on about Radclyffe Hall. I hope that you’ll come check it out!

It may be summer, but I’m certainly not on vacation. This is a busy summer for me, and I’m thrilled to officially announce the new show that I’m working on, RADCLYFFE: The Completely Honest and Mostly True Story of Victorian England’s Second Most Notorious Invert.

Radclyffe Hall was a butch who swaggered her way through the early 20th century and wrote the censored lesbian classic, ‘The Well of Loneliness.’ In this pseudo-historical solo performance, she confronts the important questions of queer life today: “what happened to ‘romantic friendships’? What the hell is a ‘genderqueer’?! And where can a butch get a good haircut in this town?!?”

The opening party for the HOT Festival at Dixon Place is this Friday, June 24th, and I’ll be performing a short excerpt from RADCLYFFE. This will be the FIRST public performance of any material for this show, so you don’t want to miss this! Doors open at 6pm, and the performances start at 9:00pm. I’ll be there with 20(!!!) other HOT! artists to give you a taste of the festival.

Your next chance to see RADCLYFFE will be on July 27th, as part of the HOT Festival at Dixon Place. I’m performing on a shared bill with Corinne Donly. It should be a great night. Tickets are $15 in advance, and you can buy them here!

Don’t despair if you’re not in NYC, because later this summer, RADCLYFFE will be heading west. I’ll be performing as part of the Butch Voices conference in Oakland, August 18th-21st. Stay tuned for more details about exactly when and where Radclyffe will saunter across the stage.

Back in NYC at the end of August, RADCLYFFE will appear at the Pop-Up Museum of Queer History at the Leslie/Lohman Gallery in SoHo. I’ll be posting more details about the date and time soon!

I hope to see you at one of my summer performances– I can’t wait to introduce RADCLYFFE to you!

Posted by Kestryl Cael at 7:26 pmComments Off on Who said it was summer break?

The US Department of Labor has added gender identity to the protected classes listed on equal opportunity policies for federal employees. Along with pregnancy, gender identity is now listed under sex discrimination as a protected category. It’s unclear whether these protections include gender expression as well.

The new protections do not impact local or state government employees, or employees working in the private sector.

You can view the statement from the Secretary of Labor, Hilda Solis, here.

Posted by Kestryl Cael at 5:12 pmComments Off on Gender Identity Protections for Federal Employees

I just confirmed that I will be performing 348 at the PsychOUT Conference! The free conference will be hosted by WE THE PEOPLE at CUNY Grad Center on June 20th and 21st.

I’m really thrilled that this conference exists. It’s an opportunity for psych survivors, activists, artists, scholars, and radical professionals to get together and share stories, strategies, and visions. I hope to see you there!

Posted by Kestryl Cael at 12:53 pmComments Off on PsychOUT 2011 Conference!